Betws-y-Coed

Betws-y-Coed (meaning Chapel in the Woods) is a village of 564 people (2011) in Conwy county borough, and one of the primary tourist resorts in the Snowdonia National Park.

Understand
The village claims to be Wales' most popular inland tourist resort, and it's certainly on the coach holiday circuit. The name is often abbreviated to "Betws" or "BYC".

By car
Betws-y-Coed is on the historic A5 London to Holyhead trunk road, but is also accessible via the A470 from Llandudno.

By train
Betws-y-Coed station is on the Conwy Valley branch line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog. Trains run approximately every three hours during the day Monday to Saturday and three times a day on Summer Sundays.

By bus
Betws y Coed is served by Bws Gwynedd services: In effect bus travel to/from Betws-y-Coed is not easily manageable; many buses run only on certain days, dates or periods, especially in summer. And times are not evenly distributed—at some times there may be 3 buses to Llanrwst in one hour and then 2 hours before the next one goes. On Sundays there are almost no buses except the S2.
 * S2 (Llanrwst–Capel Curig–Betws-y-Coed) (every 1–2 hours on workdays)
 * S97 (Porthmadog–Penryndeudraeth/Beddgelert–Betws-y-Coed) (less frequent)
 * X1/84 follows the same line from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog as the train but is more frequent (every 1–2 hours on workdays)
 * Local buses to Llanrwst

The bus station is 100 m north of the entrance to the railway station, at the entrance to the large car park, and is referred to as "Platform 2" although it is nothing like a platform and not even part of the station complex.

Get around
As the village is quite small, it is easiest to get around on foot. The S2 bus can be used to get to the westernmost part of town as well as to the Swallow Falls Hotel complex, the Ty y Hyll trailhead and Capel Curig. Many places, however, cannot be reached by public transport at all, so a car is very handy. A bike is also useful but it must be suitable for hilly terrain.

Do
Betws-y-Coed's location in the heart of Snowdonia's mountains means that many visitors are here for hillwalking, mountain biking and climbing.

Buy
There are outdoor clothing and equipment shops and also some shops selling local crafts. There are a lot of outdoor clothing and equipment shops (5–6) for a village this size, but otherwise there is nothing special to get which can't be purchased in similar shops otherwise. A few shops sell slate specialty products and souvenirs, but in general Llanberis (Welsh Slate Museum) and Blaenau Ffestiniog (Llechwed Slate Caverns) are better choices for slate.

Eat
There are relatively few restaurants—most of them part of a hotel, and most of them serve only classic Welsh food or have a bar menu. There is one Chinese restaurant and one Indian.
 * The Royal Oak Restaurant is a classic hotel restaurant with good but traditional and somewhat pricy menu.
 * The Grill Room right next to the restaurant is a tad cheaper, and have more grill dishes on the menu—quite good. Full on Fridays and Saturdays.
 * The Stables is a bar with both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is a subset of the menu from the Grill Room, but a few quid cheaper. Can be quite full Fridays and Saturdays.
 * The Royal Oak Restaurant is a classic hotel restaurant with good but traditional and somewhat pricy menu.
 * The Grill Room right next to the restaurant is a tad cheaper, and have more grill dishes on the menu—quite good. Full on Fridays and Saturdays.
 * The Stables is a bar with both indoor and outdoor seating. The menu is a subset of the menu from the Grill Room, but a few quid cheaper. Can be quite full Fridays and Saturdays.

Sleep
There are a lot of hotels and B&Bs for a village this size—you get the impression that more than every second house is some form of accommodation. Amongst others are:

Camping
There are many campsites in the area, especially on the road to Capel Curig. One large camping site next to the railway museum.

Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust renovates vulnerable historic properties and makes them available as self-catering accommodation. The Trust has three properties at Rhiwddolion, a "ghost village" in the wooded hills to the southwest of Betws-y-Coed. These isolated but idyllic properties can only be approached by car via a forest drive and thence by walking, and they must be booked in advance via the Trust. The buildings are simply furnished with basic kitchen facilities and comfortable sleeping accommodation. Prices vary according to the season and length of stay.



Connect
As of May 2022, Betws-y-Coed has 4G from EE, O2 and Vodafone, and a basic mobile signal from Three. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * Capel Curig
 * Blaenau Ffestiniog
 * Cerrigydrudion
 * Llanrwst